Dai Li's Account: Code Blue
by Goldenbrook15
Summary: The Blue Spirit is a legend, a legend that has been passed down through the ranks of Dai Li for years. Many dangerous criminals have roamed the streets of Ba Sing Se . . . but the Blue Spirit is the only one who has never been caught.
1. Dai Li's Account: Code Blue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. **

**Dai Li's account: Code Blue**

_Summary: _

_Agent Fang is training some new recruits and telling them about some of the most dangerous criminals to ever roam the streets of Ba Sing Se . . . including the infamous Blue Spirit, the only one who was never caught._

~0~o~0~o~0~o~0~o~0~

The muttering of the new recruits echoed through the cavern eerily, making some of them shift uneasily. Many of them had never been on a real mission yet. There ages ranged from eighteen to twenty-five and all of them wore the dark green robes of a Dai Li. The only difference between a normal Dai Li's robe and the new recruits was the small band of black that circled their upper left arm, something that went unnoticed by those not a part of their group. There cloths were only a few shades darker than the glowing crystals that lined the halls of the underground cavern and provided light for them.

A seemingly smooth wall suddenly slid open and a Dai Li agent stepped out and came to a brisk, but silent stop in front of the recruits. The new recruits quickly noticed the new comer and went quiet, gazing at him hopefully. They had been brought down here by another agent who had quickly disappeared soon after and they had been left to the enclosed space for over an hour now.

A frown marred the Dai Li's face as he scrutinized the young men in front of him, throwing the long, pale scar on his cheek into harsh contrast and deepening the shadows around his eyes. For several moments there was silence broken only by the shifting of feet and light breathing. The entirely too still Dai Li finally sighed and turned away, gesturing sharply for them to follow.

"I guess you're the new recruits," He said gruffly, "It figures that they would send me down to do this lesson, your lot looks a little scruffy," he glanced back, his hard eyes daring them to argue.

They came to a smaller hall that led off from the main one. It was darker and the crystals were fewer and far between. No one spoke although a few of the younger men looked like they wanted to say something. The instructor glanced back every once in a wile to make sure that everyone was still there.

It wasn't long before they came upon a waver in the wall to their right. The shadows were darker there, as if there was another tunnel branching off, but as they came closer the recruits could see that this was not the case. It was a small alcove, just large enough to hide the life sized statue that stared back from its depths.

Many of the new recruits shuttered as they saw the feral snarl and long, pointed nails of the statue. The long hair swirled around the wide, half crazed, half genius eyes that stared back at them so intently they looked almost alive although they were carved out of stone. Her wrists were just held back by metal chains bound to the walls that stopped her frozen arms from reaching out to them. It was so realistic that the recruits felt that the statue would come alive at any moment and exact her revenge on those who had imprisoned her.

"Her name was Ashika, one of the most dangerous people that the Dai Li had to face," the instructor's voice broke through their staring and they turned to him. The instructor glanced at them with a razed eyebrow and a bored expression, "Her intelligence mixed with her ruthlessness were a deadly combination. She had also been part of the Dai Li at one point, but her mission drove her crazy and she had to be taken down before she could hurt anyone else."

"Why are you telling us this? Why are these statues here?" One young man in the back of the crowd asked.

The instructor turned his dark eyes to the young man and shook his head in disappointment, "The Dai Li have been around for centuries. That is why the Earth King could not get rid of us when most of out number joined Princess Azula in her takeover of Ba Sing Se," he winced, "Luckily I was not among those that did. Back to the matter at had, the Dai Li have been protecting the city for so long that they have become experts at picking up the dangerous people out there and making them . . . well, not so dangerous anymore."

He gestured toward Ashika in example and some of the recruits winced. They continued on until they came to another alcove, this time holding the statue of a man. This statue did not portray seemingly crazy or particularly violent person, but merely a man sitting in a rocking chair puffing on a pipe. His eyes were closed and a soft smile danced across his lips.

"Do not let his innocence fool you. This is Adarsa, the great deceiver. He was brother to the King of the time, an identical twin, but because he was born just minutes younger he was not considered important. This made him angry and, when the time came, he turned on his brother and took his place. It was not until a year later when one of the servants discovered a hidden letter in his chambers to the warden of a small dungeon about his brother's imprisonment that the truth was found. Even then, it was hard to put the true king on the throne as he had charmed many into thinking that he was the rightful king," the instructor said, his eyes flicking to the statue.

Many more statues came after, along with the names and descriptions of each. As they continued the statues became newer, the criminals themselves having been around in the last one hundred years.

"Avarna the Challenger . . ."

"Capala, the Merciless . . ."

"Chain, the Serpent of Lies . . ."

They came to a stop just short of the last alcove and the instructor turned to the new recruits with serious eyes. The recruits shifted nervously under his gaze. The entire time he had been unattached and unemotional. The instructor had no fear of any of the previous criminals, but now there was a flicker of something in those dark orbs, something like dread.

". . . And then there is the Blue Spirit."

The recruits shifted, muttering. Some of the previous criminals they had at least heard of, but the Blue Spirit was someone who they had not even heard a whisper of. The instructor let his eyes sweep over them, and at the sound of his voice they quieted again.

"The Blue Spirit, the night thief, the only one to ever break into Dai Li headquarters and make it out undetected, the only one who was never caught. He is the most dangerous person in the world."

Several of them gasped in surprise and on of them whispered, "Is that even possible?"

His hard eyes gazed around at all of them, "He was though to be a petty thief, a peasant with an uncannily quick hand that went around in a mask and was a non-bender. It was the perfect disguise. He appeared around the time that the Avatar came into the city and we were to busy distracting him from seeing the king that we completely ignored the 'annoying thief', thinking that we could deal with him at a later time.

"We should not have waited.

"It was the day before the Avatar found his bison when the Blue Spirit attacked. He captured a Dai Li agent from of the streets by luring him into a deserted alleyway in the dark of night. After interrogating the agent he disappeared into the night, leaving the Dai Li still tied and bound atop a quiet rooftop, unable to warn the rest of the Dai Li. That same night, the Avatar broke in, but it was later found out that the Blue Spirit had snuck in undetected just before the boy.

"The chains that had bound the Avatar's bison were cut cleanly, as if done by a blade, but no blade could be sharp enough to cut through iron, or so we thought."

The instructor stepped out of the way to reveal the final statue and they all stepped back in surprise. A grinning blue mask that almost seemed to be laughing at them silently stared at them with two black eyes that had been hollowed out, to portray their emptiness. He had a thin body, which rested lazily against the wall of the alcove yet still managed to look predator-like. Clutched in either hand was a sword, their stone representations so sharp that they gleamed menacingly in the dim light.

"The Dual Dao. These swords are not native to the EarthKingdom, though some can be found along the west coast. They originated in the Fire Nation, where the hottest of fires are used to forge them and only those fires can break them. If enough force is put behind the blades, they can cut through metal like a knife through butter.

"The Blue Spirit was not originally call such in Ba Sing Se. Those who saw him described him as a masked man who could jump from rooftop to rooftop without worry of death, something even the Dai Li would hesitate to do. It was only after the war was ended by the Avatar and his friends that we found out about his reputation outside of our city. To the Fire Nation, he was second only to the Avatar. He was a being so terrifying that he was wanted dead or alive, preferably dead.

"He disappeared after his break in, and for years he was not seen again. Then, in the capital of the Fire Nation, he was spotted, this time protecting the people from a rouge spirit that had come from the sea. He had returned to where his legend had started, and we have no influence there, but the legend he made here, at the headquarters of the Dai Li, will forever be remembered as a warning for the future."

The young man who had spoken before blinked and spoke again, the words slipping from his lips before he could consider the consequences, "Have you ever seen the Blue Spirit?" he asked.

The instructor was silent, his eyes scanning the crowd of new recruits before they rested on the young man. With almost silent footsteps he walked toward the boy, the others parting before him. He stopped, his six foot frame towering above the boy as he looked down his nose at him.

"Seen the Blue Spirit? No one _sees _the Blue Spirit unless he wants you to," the boy started to shuffle back anxiously, "No, I was _captured_ by him. He spoke, and when he speaks, it makes you fell like you are being watched by death himself. His blades were _inches_ from my neck and I was hung from a building with only _rope_. For _hours_ I hung, until someone found me and got me down, and by then it was too late to warn the others.

"He is as silent as a ghost and as intangible as a shadow. His eyes are the pits of everlasting despair. His grin is forever mocking. He is a thief, a warrior, a criminal, and some even say that he is an assassin. But, to see him?

"No. No one sees the Blue Spirit. He will let you catch a glimpse of him, but only if it is to his advantage. Even a few seconds is enough to install fear in your heart.

"Beware, boy. _No one_ escapes when they come under the Blue Spirit's notice. All you can do if you he comes near is to hide and hope he hasn't seen you.

"He is the cat and you are the mouse. Do not seek him out, because if you do, he will _destroy_ you."

The new recruit nodded and gulped. A dark cloud seemed to be lifted from the cavern as the instructor turned away and called an end to the lesson. The others breathed in relief. They would live for another day.

And beg that they never had this instructor _ever _again.

He was scary when he talked about the Blue Spirit.

~0~o~0~o~0~o~0~o~0~

Far, far to the west, in the Fire Lord's palace Zuko suddenly sneezed. He blinked for several moments in confusion but did not sneeze again. Shrugging he waved it off as just another of those odd occurrences that happened around him and went back to his paperwork, glad no one had seen him sneeze.

**_Avarna – colorless_**

**_Ashika – dagger _**

**_Adarsa – mirror, image; the ideal_**

**_Capala – Swift; lightning _**

**I just had to get this out of my head so that I could continue with my other stories. I hope you readers enjoyed it. If you have any comments about it the review button is just below (Puppy dog eyes).**

**Thanks for reading! **


	2. Dai Li's Account: Agent Feng

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender.**

**This is for those of you who liked the first chapter. This chapter is actually the original version of my story, but I think you might enjoy it and it goes along with the previous chapter. I had to update something and this was conveniently already written. If there are any mistakes or inconsistencies please tell me and I will attempt to fix them. **

**Thank you for reading and I hope you like it!**

**Dai Li's Account: Agent Fang**

"He is a demon in human skin," Agent Fang shivered, his eyes closed in remembrance as he pulled the blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

His superiors glanced at each other with frowns on their faces. Agent Fang had come in that morning stuttering in fear and barely able to walk. There were no visible marks on him, but it still seemed like he had been broken by a master interrogator. They could only wonder what had happened. For hours Agent Fang had been unable to speak of what had happened and only now was he able to calm down enough to explain.

"What do you mean by demon?" Agent Snake inquired impassively. The Dai Li were some of the most dangerous people out there and never showed there emotions. As such his face was completely blank when he spoke.

Agent Fang shook his head in a jerky motion, his eyes wide. It unnerved the other Dai Li that one of there own was showing so much expression, that and the fact that this particular Agent was no pushover when it came to his job. He had been tried and tested, but it was this, seemingly innocent assignment, that made him break.

Agent Fang had been sent out to see if what the people of the lower and the middle rings were saying about a masked man on the rooftops was true. They had called him a thief, claiming that he would jump from the rooftops and take food right out of peoples hands. The Dai Li had suspected that they were dealing with a small time thief and hadn't thought much about it.

Agent Fang had wanted to take a break for a little while and so took the job, thinking that it would be easy. Find the masked man, detain him, and bring him in for questioning and a mind wipe. None of the other Dai Li had expected him to come back like this.

"H-he wore a-a mask. I-it was grinning . . . always grinning . . . and those eyes, nothing but black pits with no end . . ." Agent Fang stuttered, a violent shiver going through him.

Agent Claw, who was sitting next to Agent Snake, leaned forward, "Why don't you start from the beginning, Agent Fang," he suggested.

Agent Fang shrugged and swallowed, "I was just walking down the streets of the middle ring when I heard running footsteps behind me . . ."

_Flashback_

_The pounding of feet on the cobblestones was what alerted Agent Fang that someone was approaching. No one else was out at the time and the streets had been silent just moments before. The person sounded like they were in a rush. He could understand that, it was past curfew and whoever it was could be arrested for suspicious activity if they were caught. He was about to turn around to see who the person was when he felt a hand grip his shoulder and shove him out of the way. _

_Agent Fang was stunned for several seconds before he pushed himself up. He had only caught a brief glimpse of his attacker but he knew that this was the person that he had been looking for. The man had worn a mask covering his face and was in an all black suit that blended into the night. He felt anger boil up in him. Whoever this masked man was they were going to regret shoving him. _

_He ran after the man and turned into a street that he knew was a dead end. At the back of the ally the masked man was facing him, his swords drawn. Agent Fang wanted to grin. You could not fight bending with swords, it was not possible. Quickly he sent out the rock glove on his right hand at the mans face, intending to nock him out, and the glove on his left hand was thrown a moment later to push the masked man back against the wall._

_Instead of trying to dodge like Agent Fang would have thought, the masked man stood still in the face of the oncoming rocks. The first rock glove tore the man's head off, revealing it to be just a cloth stuffed with grass. The second glove, having been released half a second after the first, spun the life like representation of the masked man around and took of the arm. _

_Agent Fang stood there uncomprehending for several moments, then his eyes widened. This was a trap! He turned to flee when he felt two swords at his neck. He froze. Bending was better for far ranged combat, yes, but when the swords were already close enough to take a swipe, he was in trouble. If he tried to bend, there was no doubt in his mind that he would be cut. _

_It had been a setup. The running and shoving him into a wall had been to make him mad enough to follow the thief into the ally. He had been so focused on the fact that it was a dead end and that the masked man would be caught that he didn't realize that the footsteps had stopped as soon as he had entered the ally. _

_The blue mask came into sight over his left shoulder and Agent Fang could not suppress a shiver of fear. The mask was grinning at him, always grinning. Two tusks came out from either side of the mask's smile, and above them the eyes were set, two black pits of swirling darkness with white set around them to draw them out even more. _

_"Where are you keeping the Avatar's bison?" the harsh, demanding whisper rasped past his ear, sending shivers of fear down his spine though he tried to not show it. _

_Agent Fang let the slightest of frowns onto his face. How did the asked man know about the bison? Not even the Avatar had come to suspect them yet. This thief, however, who had only appeared just a few weeks before the avatar, had already found out. It was like he knew the inner workings of the Dai Li and how they thought better then anyone else who was not apart of their group ever had. In fact . . . what if the thief had been a Dai Li agent at one point? _

_The implications of his thoughts scared him. They either had a spy among them . . . or someone had been stalking them for weeks without them realizing it, possibly even attempting to draw them out with his actions. _

_The blades dug deeper into Agent Fang's skin and he winced. He knew that he could not tell the masked man where the bison was. No matter how much pain he was about to go through. The Die Li were trained to resist torture of the worst kind and he knew that he could take anything thrown at him._

_The black eyes were still staring at him, but Agent Fang clamped him mouth shut in defiance. All was silent for several moments, but still the masked man did not move from his place. The agent could not take his eyes off of the black pools. It seemed like the masked man was reading his very sole. _

_After several moments, the masked man seemed to come to a decision. Before Agent Fang could react one sword had been pulled away from his neck and the hilt slammed down on the back of his head, and he knew now more. _

_When Agent Fang regained consciousness he was hanging upside down from a building, held up by a rope strung between two houses. Looking down, the ground seemed to swim beneath him and he struggled to keep his breathing even and push his fear into the back of his mind. He was dizzy and disoriented. He could not see straight. Earthbenders were connected to the earth and to not be in contact with it weakened their resolve. A blue mask came into view again and he shrunk back, having to remind himself that there was a man behind the mask and that the mask was not just his face . . . or was it? _

_What if the mask was the man's face? No, he could not think of that. He could not let his fear get to him. _

_"Where is the Avatar's bison?" the masked man asked again in his rasping voice. _

_When Agent Fang did not answer the masked man leaned forward and took a small, ornate dagger from his belt and held it over the rope. The agent went rigid with disbelief. The masked man would not cut the rope, surely. He needed him for information. _

_The knife descended and Agent Fang looked down, wondering if he could survive the fall, probably not. If he fell from here, the other rope would catch, sending him against the wall of the other building. But the other rope was thin and would easily snap under his weight once the rope was out of the way. He began to shake in fear, though he tried to suppress it. He had always had a slight trepidation about heights. _

_"Wait!" he called, franticly, "You need me! How will you find out what you want to know if I'm dead?"_

_The knife paused but did not retreat from its place over the rope._

_"Oh, I do, do I?" the masked man rasped, "And there is no one else that knows the information that I seek? Tell me, what is stopping me from seeking out another Dai Li agent and stringing them up, just to see if they will crack?"_

_Agent Fang knew that he was caught, and he could already feel the fear that he had been shoving into the back of his mind resurfacing. He was afraid of heights. He had been ever since he had fallen out of his family tree when he was little, though he had hid it when he was recruited among the Dai Li. _

_But somehow this masked man had found his one weakness and exploited it. It seemed that he had taken too long to answer and the knife snapped the first few strands of the rope and it began to saw back and forth. _

_"Lake Laogai," he blurted, "the bison is being held in Lake_ _Laogai."_

_"Really," if the mask wasn't already grinning at him, Agent Fang would have said that the man was smug, "Good job. Now, how do I get in?"_

_Flashback end_

Agent Fang had been knocked out after he had spilled many of the Dai Li secrets. He was ashamed of himself. The Dai Li were the elite; they were supposed to be able to handle any situation, and yet a single masked man had made him fall apart.

It frightened Agent Claw and Agent Snake that this could happen to one of there own, but it also intrigued them. This person was obviously well trained. If they could get this man to help them train the Dai Li it would make them even more resistant to manipulation.

But first, they had to find him, and they could not use the bison that he had been after, because he had already broken in.

Intriguing indeed.

0~o~0

Fire Lord Zuko looked down at the poster in amusement. He could still remember his days in Ba Sing Se and this brought them back to his attention.

It was a poster with the mask of the Blue Spirit, requesting his help in training the Dai Li to over come their fears. Zuko wanted to chuckle. After the war the Earth Kingdom King had gone through the Die Li agents and found the ones that were still loyal. The Dai Li were still there, but they no longer enforced silence upon the people.

Fire Lord Zuko and the gang had been invited to visit Ba Sing Se to help hammer out some of the details in the treaty. This had given Zuko something to do in his spare time, though. After all, sneaking around as the Blue Spirit had always been a thrill.

"What are you grinning about Zuko?" Katara asked.

Zuko hid the paper among all of the other ones piled in front of him, "It's nothing to worry about, just got some interesting information is all."

Katara gave him a skeptical look and shrugged. Even after almost two years of being friends Zuko was still very secretive. Whatever he was hiding, it probably didn't matter.

Probably.

0~o~0

Agent Fang sighed as he sat down at his desk and rubbed his head. He still didn't know why his superiors had insisted that they find this Blue Spirit to help train them. Yes, the mask had been terrifying, the 'thief' (who it was later found out had not only infiltrated them but also the Fire Nation and managed to break the Avatar out of one of the most secure Fire Nation prisons ever built. Whoever was underneath the mask, he never wanted to see them in the city again) was recorded as the most dangerous criminal to ever roam Ba Sing Se, could they just leave it alone now? He did not want to meet the genius behind the mask.

I mean seriously. After what he had found out about the Blue Spirit, as he was known outside the walls of the city, he wasn't so surprised that he had been caught that easily. That didn't mean that he was willing to meet the man again in this lifetime.

Agent Fang reached for the first paper on his desk when he heard a creek behind him. He froze, cursing inwardly. He could have sworn that no one had been in the room when he had entered. Gripping his rock gloves he spun around, ready to throw, and stopped dead in his tracks.

There, sitting on his window seal, looking for all the world as if he were just taking a break, was the Blue Spirit, and in his hand, the poster about him being wanted as a trainer was waving lazily in the wind.

Dread coiled in Agent Fangs stomach as the grin turned toward him.

He was so yelling at Agent Snake and Agent Claw the next time that he saw them.

**0~o~o**

**Well, here it is, the original version. **

**Review and tell me what you think. **

**Please?**


	3. Dai Li's Account: Agent Raven

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender**

**Dai Li's Account: Code Blue**

_Summary: They say that every legend has a basis in truth. It's too bad that this legend didn't stay gone. _

**A/N: Almost everyone who reviewed said that I needed to do another chapter. I hadn't planned on continuing this but as a thank you to all of those who did review. **

**I would also like to apologize for how long it has taken to write this chapter. I have been extremely busy lately (strange, I'm even busier then when I had school) and have been branching out into other stories a little more. This all combined with a lost idea has made it difficult to write. This chapter was written over several months and may not make sense as I tend to forget what I have written, but I have tried my best. **

**I hope that you enjoy this chapter. **

**Dai Li's Account: Agent Raven**

Chapter 3

Agent Raven sighed and crossed his arms as he glanced around at his companions and fellow students. They were all Dai Li in training and were starting to show progress toward becoming full agents, but right now most of them looked like a bunch of kids who just got out of school. The instructor wasn't here on time, which was an unusual occurrence, and no replacement had been sent.

Unlike the rest of his peers, however, Agent Raven felt uneasy. He kept glancing around, trying to find what was making him feel like he was being watched, but no one seemed to be looking in his direction. As the minutes passed as the sound level increased Raven couldn't help but tense.

Keeping his back against the wall Raven scanned all of the entrances and exits for movement. He noticed that there were a few others that seemed to have the same idea as him but said nothing.

The invisible cloud of unease hanging over them began to thicken and Raven found himself tapping his hand against his arm nervously.

"Something isn't right," he muttered darkly, glancing at where the shadows were the deepest. In the large cave lit only by glowing green crystals there were a lot of shadows.

"You can say that again."

Raven startled, reflexively pushing himself off of the wall and turning to whoever had spoken, instinctively dropping into an earthbending stance. His eyes rested on his room mate, Agent Fox, who looked just as jumpy as he felt. Relaxing Raven frowned as he stood back up, slightly ashamed for almost attacking his friend.

"What do you think is keeping the instructors?" Fox asked, his eyes flicking to the other agents in training, "It must be pretty bad if they haven't shown up yet."

_Or they are trying to get on our nerves, and its working._

Raven shook his head and leaned against the wall again, looking out into the crowd. "I just can't wait until this is over. Those idiots," he jerked his head toward the center of the cave where the other teens had gathered to talk in large circles, "don't even have the common sense to know when something isn't right."

Fox snorted but didn't say anything.

The loud talking was suddenly pierced by the sound of someone screaming, and then chaos broke out. As everyone scrambled to figure out what was going on more screams joined the fray and Raven glanced around in confusion.

"What's going on?" he shouted over the screaming to Fox, who could only shake his head.

The light of the green crystals suddenly vanished, leaving only darkness, and silence descended on everyone. It felt as if the entire group was holding their breath, waiting for something.

"Always expect the unexpected," a dark, raspy voice echoed through the large chamber, and Raven spun, trying to find the source. The echo's made it impossible to pinpoint any one point of origin and he made a mistake of stepping away from the wall as it seemed to disappear behind him in the darkness.

"The darkness is both your enemy . . . and your ally."

Raven shivered, feeling small and insignificant next to whatever power held the entire group in silent terror.

"The ground is your element, yet it is your eyes that you trust. What would you do . . . if you could no longer _see_."

In the darkness Raven could hear several of the agents begin to hyperventilate and he could tell that his hands were sweaty and shaking, but he didn't dare move to wipe them off.

The disembodied voice seemed to strike fear into their hearts, turning them cold without light to warm them. The thought of never being able to _see _again was something that Raven had never even considered, but right now it was making its way as his top fear. Already his eyes were darting back and forth, searching for any light whatsoever, but this deep in the caves there was none.

"Fear," A soft breeze floated across Ravens left cheek, making his eyes go wide and his body to stiffen, "Such a . . . trivial thing, don't you think? And yet, if someone can find it, _use it_ . . . they could _destroy _you."

Someone was behind him, someone was behind him, _someone was behind him . . ._

Raven spun, scooped up a peace of the rock floor using earthbending and sent it hurtling toward whoever was there. The rock hit nothing and instead exploded against the wall, sending a wave of dust back at his face, making him cough in shock.

A dark chuckle echoed through the chamber, and then the lights came back on.

Raven sucked in a deep breath as an unnoticed weight seemed to be lifted from his shoulders. His hands shook uncontrollably and, not caring if he appeared weak, he dropped to the floor on his and dug his fingers into the rock, but found no comport.

Dark brown eyes looked around, trying to find just _what _had been in the chamber with them, but there was no trace of anyone having ever been there other then them. The remains of the rock that Raven had thrown were scattered across the ground, the only evidence that something had happened.

"Is something wrong?" the voice of Agent Fang made the entire group turn silently in their instructor's direction. A sea of pale, terrified faces, greeted the old agent as he looked out across the teens.

One of the braver boys spoke up shakily, "S-sir.? D-Does . . . Does anything _live_ i-in these t-tunnels?"

Agent Fang raised his eyebrow as he looked out from his platform to the rest of his pupils. His face was impassive as he spoke.

"I'm assuming you mean you new instructor, who you all just met," Agent Fang paused, then shrugged slightly, showing more emotion then he usually did, "As for where _he_ lives . . . Maybe, maybe not."

A small twitch of his lips made Raven feel like Agent Fang was holding something back, and to tell the truth he wasn't sure he wanted to know. If . . . if that _creature_ was going to be their new instructor . . .

Raven really wished he had never been chosen to become a possible Dai Li agent.

0~o~0

Zuko frowned as he shuffled through the many piles of papers that rested on his desk, his mind wandering to his first . . . _lesson. _

The Agents hadn't been what he had expected. To tell the truth, the fact that they were spooked so easily showed just how much he would have to work on them. That and they still didn't know that it was the Blue Spirit who had been in the chamber with them.

Maybe he had overdone it, but it did give him a feel for how well they handled fear. He wasn't happy. They were like rabbits freezing at the first sign of danger. The only one who had shown any kind of promise was the young man who had shot a rock at him.

Not that it worked, but it was a good effort.

It was just sad to realize that the earthbenders couldn't even _feel _the earth. He was so used to sparring with Toph that facing off against a group of earthbenders who _could _see was like facing off against a bunch of children when they were all together in a completely dark room. It was like when they couldn't see they couldn't think.

Zuko glanced down at one of the papers that he was holding and winced.

Paperwork, every Fire Lord's bane.

0~o~0

The possible recruits crept quietly into the cave, unlike their normal behavior, perfectly on time. There was not even a whisper as they settled into rows. There were a few noticeable places where the student hadn't even bothered to show up. Raven swallowed, wishing that he had thought of it too.

They still didn't really know who their new instructor was; Agent Fang had refused to say, but there had been a glint in his eye that made Raven very nervous.

The silence was suddenly broken as something dropped from the ceiling and landed directly in front of him. Gasping Raven stumbled back and dropped into a fighting stance only to freeze as he realized exactly _who _he was looking at.

The disembodied voice in the darkness had been terrifying, but at least he hadn't known who he was really facing. Even the replica they had seen in the hall of statues didn't do him justice.

Two, pale fangs glinted at him from the smiling blue mask. The pitiless eyes seemed to stare into his very soul, pulling out his deepest darkest secrets.

"So you're the one that dared to attack me the other night," the Blue Spirit said, still in a crouch and unnaturally still, "It was . . . impressive. But that only proves one thing," in a smooth, uninterrupted move the apparition stood and Raven caught sight of a long sword being drawn from its sheath and split in two with seemingly no effort, "if it's not the dark, then what _are_ you afraid of, Agent Raven?"

Raven felt his breath catch and his eyes widen as, in a blur of motion the Blue Spirit lunged. The swords glinted as they twirled through the air soundlessly. Jumping to the side he barely avoided getting sliced by the sharp blades as they passed inches from him.

Landing with a hard grunt Raven rolled to absorb the hit and came up in a crouch. The Blue Spirit was lazily twirling his swords as he watched them and Raven noticed that in the time he had been focused on the masked man his fellow pupils had backed as far away from them as possible. He would be getting no help from them, it seemed.

The smile taunted him but he still hesitated, unsure.

"I have fought many humans and creatures alike over the years," the swords flashed in the dim light, distracting, "benders, non-benders, you name it I've fought it," the swords slid back into their invisible covering, "but the all have something in common, something that doesn't changed whether you can wield fire, water, air, earth, or nothing at all . . ." the Blue Spirit was addressing all of them, "they all have _fear_."

Raven shivered as a thought passed through his head: _But you don't. _

As far as he knew the Blue Spirit had no fear. The mask covered any feeling, any emotion that would indicate that he was human, and that was what made him different. The Blue Spirit didn't _need _fear, he _was _fear.

"Your instructors have asked that I . . . help you overcome your fear," Raven was sure that the spirit was cackling under the mask, "As well as teach some of you to fight better. Make no mistake; I am not here because they asked. I'm here because you are amusing. If in a few lessons you are no longer amusing . . . lets just say that I am not just some petty thief."

The class didn't seem to be able to respond, too terror ridden that they couldn't even move. The Blue Spirit strode toward Raven and he tensed, waiting to get attacked.

As leather clad hand appeared in front of him. Four fingers and a thumb. It was very a very human hand for someone who was just the opposite.

"Let's get started," the Blue Spirit said, pulling Raven to his feet by his shoulder when he didn't accept his hand.

It was strange, Raven thought as he dazedly followed the spirit, that the being could go from attacking him to teaching within the span of a few moments.

The spirit stopped in the center of the cave and pulled a dagger from his sleeve. Raven blinked, wondering just how many hidden weapons the spirit had on him. Swiftly the spirit knelt and began to etch something into the stone floor.

"What most people do not understand is that nothing is separate. Everything flows together in a balance. It is this balance that brings peace," the Blue Spirit stood and several of the students leaned in to see what he had drawn.

Etched into the floor was a symbol for each of the four nations. Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. They weren't separated with lines, as it was commonly drawn, but connected together by a circle.

"You can also tell where someone is from by the way that they fight," The Blue Spirit said softly, "but if you learn from all of them, if you are no longer _one_ but _four_ than no one understands who you are. When there is no separation, there is understanding."

Who _was_ this guy?

"Fear ties into it. Everyone has a fear, but it's what you do with it that defines you. Do you freeze up and spill your secrets? Or do you fight back, determined to not crack? It is a fine line, but the biggest part of it is to not let other people know. Keep your fears close, don't let anyone know them, and _never _let them control you."

The light flickered for a moment, but that was all it took. When Raven looked again the Blue Spirit had vanished along with the darkness, his haunting voice still echoing through the caverns.

0~o~0

"Bosco, don't eat that!"

Zuko felt a headache developing behind his eyes as he rubbed his nose in exasperation. Were all rulers insane? Not including himself, of course . . . maybe.

Then again, he _did_ run around dressing in all black as the Blue Spirit and scaring as well as training Die Li to overcome their fears. Most people would consider that crazy, Fire Lord who was doing it or not.

"Bosco!" King Kuei frowned angrily at his pet bear which was, at the moment, giving him its most innocent face.

Yes, that's right, a pet bear.

Katara sighed as she scooted back her seat and walked over to the large bear, "What was it this time, a spoon?"

Kuei scowled and crossed his arms, "No. It was the plate. Bosco, spit that out right now or I will let the Lady Katara over here flush you out again!"

If possible the bear's eyes seemed to almost pop out as it turned to Katara with a pleading expression. Katara didn't give. Her eyes were hard as she tapped her foot in an 'I'm waiting' gesture. With a pout the bear made a gurgling sound and spit the glass plate back out again, completely covered with slime and bear slobber.

Kuei smiled brightly at the sight of the plate and clapped his hands happily, "Good job Bosco! Who's a good boy, huh? Someone, come clean up the plate please," the last part was spoken to some of the servants standing around the hall.

Zuko looked down at his own half filled plate and immediately lost his appetite. Just how many times had that bear swallowed similar dinner table items and gotten away with it? Just how many of those said items were they _eating_ from?

"So," said Aang, clearly having the same thoughts as Zuko as he subtly pushed his plate away from him, "Anything interesting going on around here, Kuei? I heard there had been a few changed since we were last here."

Kuei frowned in thought, "Yes we have been changing a few things . . . oh! The Die Li hired a new trainer for something. Apparently something got the drop on them a few years ago and broke one of their best Agents into telling where your bison was."

Aang blinking in surprise, "Appa?"

"Yes," Kuei nodded, looking proud of himself for remembering. Zuko carefully kept all emotion off of his face even though internally he was curing at whoever had told the king that he was training the new arrivals. If Aang figured out _who _it was then he would immediately turn to Zuko and then his cover would be blown. Aang had never been all that good at keeping secrets. "You remember how you told me that your bison had been stolen and then saved you when you were surrounded by Die Li? Apparently someone else was in the caves with you and freed the bison."

Zuko twitched slightly.

"Do you know who it was?" Aang asked, leaning in eagerly.

Kuei sighed, "Sadly, I wasn't told the name of who they were, security and all of that, but I do here that they are quite famous."

"Really, wow!" Aang smiled brightly, "It's nice to know that I had someone on my side back then besides those I knew, even if they were hidden in the shadows."

Zuko had, had enough. Standing and pushing his chair back, he turned to the king with a completely blank expression, "I wish to retire early this evening, if that is fine with you, King Kuei."

Kuei blinked, as if realizing he was there for the first time and then smiled, "That is fine, Fire Lord Zuko. Have a restful night."

Zuko nodded and left the table at a brisk walk. His headache had only increased the more time he spent around the insane children. Maybe insanity was infectious?

"What do you think has him so worked up?" he heard Aang ask before the doors closed behind him.

"I don't know," came Sokka's typical reply, "It's probably the treaty talk that's happening tomorrow. You know how he hates that kind of stuff."

Zuko scowled as he made his way to his rooms. He had completely forgotten about that and now he had an even bigger headache. Just _great_. He was _so_ going to strangle Sokka next time he saw the kid.

0~o~0

The next few weeks for Raven and his fellow agents in training were both hard and terrifying. They were forced to think on their feet, face their worst fears over and over again (some of which they had no idea they were afraid of), and above all _survive_.

If Raven had thought that their previous training had been hard then this was torture at its finest.

The Blue Spirit was unpredictable. Some days he started out by attacking a random student to see how they would react. Other's he simple seemed to appear among them and lecture on this or that with a few fights in between.

At one point Raven swore he heard the spirit mutter about how a 'blind earthbender half their size' could 'beat them into a pulp without trying'. Strangely enough, Raven was starting to believe him.

The Blue Spirit had not used bending while fighting. Raven even wondered if they even _could _bend. The thought of the Blue Spirit being a non bender and defeating them so easily every single time was not a comforting one.

And then there was the feeling that the Blue Spirit was trying to tell them something without coming right out and saying it. It had all started with his first lecture when he said that all elements were needed for balance. He just could figure out what the spirit was trying to get across.

"You see things your companions do not."

Raven startled at the now familiar voice behind him, spinning around to face the crouching form of the Blue Spirit.

"What do you mean?" Raven asked, not relaxing in the slightest.

The Blue Spirit tilted his head slightly, "You are starting to use your head more than you strength, which is good," the Blue Spirit stood smoothly, not taking his eyes off of Raven, "The flaw that most earthbenders have is that they don't stop and _think_ before rushing in. The key is to wait, to be patient, and to be prepared. When the moment comes you will know and be able to counter it. Instead of hitting with all your might, redirect your enemies blow. It throws them off balance."

Raven's eyebrows furrowed as he frowned, "Is that what you are trying to teach us?"

The Blue Spirit turned away from him and back to the class who were mock fighting each other. It was getting desperate out there because the person who lost would be fighting the spirit and no one wanted to do that. Raven was only not fighting at the moment because they had an odd number in the class.

"Perhaps. Or maybe you need to take things more directly. If an earthbender goes up against a firebender then the person who has more experience will most likely win. However, if that firebender, no matter how young they are, is trained in the ways of earthbending as well as firebending, then they have the advantage of knowing how their opponent will react."

"Um . . . those are two very different peaces of advice," Raven said, scowling. The fights were starting to end now and he would be up in the next round.

The Blue Spirit nodded knowingly and clasped his hands behind his back, "But every peace counts."

Stepping forward into the chaos the Blue Spirit vanished among the crowd, leaving Raven to think about what he had said.

Was the Blue Spirits saying that . . . if you really wanted to win then you had to know your enemy? And in order to know your enemy you had to watch them and to learn how they fought. Water and fire, earth and air, it didn't matter who you fought so long as you knew _how _they fought.

Raven's eyes widened in realization.

0~o~0

Two weeks. There was only two weeks left until he was scheduled to go home. Zuko sighed as he stripped of his black suit and hid it at the bottom of his traveling bag along with his mask. He had been enjoying his time training the agents, especially the black haired one called Raven who caught on faster then the others, but the rest of it he could have done without.

The agents were doing well, though Raven was the only one who seemed to have caught on to the deeper meaning of his lessons. It was something that had taken him a long time and several hits to the head to learn. Toph and his uncle had sure pounded it into his head several times over the years.

Wait, listen, watch, learn, act. Acting without thinking would get him killed, and almost had several times.

A loud knock came from the door as Zuko was slipping into his more casual clothing. He raised an eyebrow, wondering who it was.

"Hey, Zuko!" ah, that answered his question. Sokka couldn't seem to leave him alone ever since he had found out about his sword skills and was constantly asking him for a dual, "Can you come help me train some more?"

Zuko rolled his eyes, "Can it wait?"

The door opened and Sokka peeked his head around a pout on his face and his eyes pleading. Zuko gave him a blank expression as he finished tying his belt in place.

"_Please,_ Zuko? If you don't do it now then you'll just have meeting later and no time at all," Sokka begged, giving the Fire Lord his best puppy-eyed look.

It was true that Zuko had several meetings later, but he wished that Sokka had forgotten. He had already spent most of his morning training Dai Li and had no wish to fight anymore. One glance at Sokka's determined face though and he knew that he if he didn't accept then the other swordsman wouldn't stop bugging him until he gave in.

Zuko sighed, rubbing his head in annoyance, "Fine. Meet me in the training yard in ten minutes."

"Yes!" Sokka whooped loudly and sped off down the hall, closing the door behind him with a slam.

Grumbling Zuko grabbed his swords and strapped them on, "One of these days I'm not going to hold back and that boy is going to find himself waking up with a massive headache and bruises," he muttered.

Training the Dai Li wasn't like training with Sokka. Sokka wasn't intimidated by him and knew that if Zuko actually hurt him then he would have both a waterbender and an airbender after him. Toph would probably just sit back and laugh, though.

He really wanted a break.

0~o~0

Raven tugged nervously at his uniform as he walked down the hall. It wasn't his first time on patrol duty but it was the first time he was doing it in the palace. Apparently being singled out by the Blue Spirit all the time did have some advantages, such as the other instructors paying more attention to him. It was likely that he would rise fast in the ranks once he was officially inducted into the ranks. For now, though, he was stuck to patrol duty.

"Is that the best you have got?" a voice yelled out, followed by several clangs of metal hitting metal.

"Notice that you're the one who looks like they are about to collapse from exhaustion," a second, smooth voice replying, seemingly uncaring.

Raven's eyes widened and he picked up his pace, but didn't run. Dai Li never ran, they glided, but he was sorely tempted to. Who was fighting in the palace?

He came to a courtyard where there was plenty of space and a large platform in the middle where two people were fighting. The farthest from him looked like he was Water Tribe and was wielding a pure black sword, something that he had never seen before. The other was in dark reds and blacks, though there was a splash of gold as well. He held a curved sword in each hand and was easily holding off his opponent without seeming to try. Raven assumed that they were part of the group who had come for the treaty that was being signed. The one in red was probably a Fire Nation representative.

"Yah, well, you have two swords so it's a bit harder to fight against you," the Water Tribe man retorted as Raven slipped nearer to them, curious despite himself.

The one in red spun out of the way of the other's lung, and rapped one sword on the Water Tribe's knuckles. The blue clad one gasped and let go of his sword as he drew his hand back.

"No fair! How do you always get me with that?" the one in blue said. Raven was close enough now to realize that he was actually a boy, younger than even he was.

It wasn't the boy that had him freezing in his tracks, however. The move that the man in red had used was all too familiar, one that he had seen used many times by someone completely in black and wearing a mask.

The Blue Spirit was right here in the palace and no one knew.

"Better luck next time, Sokka. And for the record, you were the one who wanted to spar," the Fire Nation man said as he turned, slipping his swords into their sheath.

Raven went ridged as he saw the other's face for the first time since he had come upon the fight. The features were young, maybe late teens, but it was the scare on one side of his face across the eye that identified the man before him.

"Fire Lord Zuko," he breathed, his eyes wide. No, it couldn't be. The Fire Lord was a firebender and the Blue Spirit never used bending . . .

But that didn't mean the Blue Spirit wasn't a bender, just that he could defeat anyone and everyone without it if needed.

Oh Oma and Shu, the Fire Lord's name was enough to send half of the earth kingdom running in terror (didn't he spend part of his exile hidden among them and they didn't even know?) and then other half hiding in holes. Add the Blue Spirit to that, who never used bending?

Raven made up his mind. He was never going to let anyone find out that he knew who the Blue Spirit was. _No one._ He would carry the secret to his grave.

He did _not_ want a raging firebending swords-master after him for telling his secret.

The Blue Spirit just got a whole lot more terrifying.

The Fire Lord nodded to the Dai Li agent as he passed, a spark of amusement in his eyes. He turned the corner and disappeared, leaving Raven to his thoughts and imagining all sorts of painful deaths that could happen to him.

He really, desperately, wished that he had never found out.

A small whimper left his mouth, making the Water Tribe boy glance at him oddly before he shrugged and walked off.

Raven suspected he had found his worst fear: The Fire Lord's vengeance should he ever find out what he knew.

0~o~0

Zuko sighed as he leaned back in his comfortable chair, finally home.

It had been a long two months of negations and in the end he was glad that he didn't have to stay longer.

His students had been entertaining, though, especially the one who had stood up to him that first day. Maybe he should send him a little reminder, to help him never forget his training. The boy would be a great leader one day, he was sure. He had seen it in how the others had always looked to the boy for guidance on some things.

Sometimes he wondered if the boy knew it, though.

Yes, a little reminder was a good idea, but what should he send to his favorite student?

0~o~0

Two weeks later the Fire Lord and his band left the city. Raven was finally able to breath without looking over his shoulder and thinking that something was following him.

He understood now why Agent Fang had been so serious when he spoke of the Blue Spirit.

The Blue Spirit was terrifying, but the man under the mask was someone that not even the best of the best would dare go against. He hoped that Fire Lord Zuko never had a reason to come back to the city in his lifetime.

A sharp tapping on his window had Raven jumping at the unexpected sound. Turning to the window he carefully opened in and looked out, wondering if someone had tried throwing rocks through it again, only to get a large hawk to his face as it tried to come in.

"Ack!" he yelped, stumbling back as the bird flapped in his face for several seconds.

Momentarily blinded he didn't realize until the bird flew back out that it had dropped something on the floor, a little cylinder. Frowning he picked it up and firmly shut his window, not wanting the bird to come back in.

The cylinder was something that he had never seen or heard of before. It was unmarked and pure black, completely made of metal and leather. Unsure of what it contained he carefully unscrewed the top and dumped the contents onto his hand.

It was a metal necklace with three objects on the end. The middle object was a black feather, a _raven _feather, and it was flanked on both sides by two identical, slightly curved swords.

Raven felt the blood drain from his face, realizing exactly _who_ had sent this.

It was a warning.

The Blue Spirit _knew._

0~o~0

**Ha! Ha! Hoped you liked the chapter. If there are any misspellings or typos please tell me and I'll try to get them fixed. **

**This will be the last chapter (maybe) of this story that I am writing. Don't get your hopes up too much for another one. **

**If this chapter was horrible and not up to your expectations then I'm sorry. I wrote and rewrote it several times trying to get it right and it just wasn't coming out the way I wanted so I just went with the flow and this is what came of it. **

**Please leave a review if you have time, especially if you liked it. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Sequel

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

**I know a lot of you really liked Code Blue, so I am going to do a sequel under the name "Eyewitnesses Account: Code Black", which is being written and will have the first chapter up within the month. **

**Summary: **

**_Even after almost twenty years since he was last seen in the outskirts of the great Earth_** **_Kingdom, the very mention of his name sends shivers of fear down their spines and a plea to the spirits that he never returns. Who is he? He is the Blue Spirit. _**

**I hope you are all eagerly awaiting this new installment and, as a special treat for all of those who liked this story, here is a snippet of Code Black.**

**0~o~0**

The villagers watched the stranger warily as he walked through the town. There was nothing that made him stand out, but the mere fact that he was a stranger made them cautious. Just a few years before the Blue Spirit had passed through their town and his effect had not yet been forgotten. They had not been fond of unknowns in their town since.

Strangers were uncommon as well. They were a small town, hardly anything worth seeing or even passing through. They didn't live near a water source and as such trade was scarce. Their little isolated community was cut off from almost everywhere, and that was how they liked it.

Straw hat pulled low the stranger stopped to buy some fruits from a few of the vendors, using his voice as little as possible and keeping his face covered. This only made the townspeople even more nervous.

"So . . ." one vendor asked as he counted out the required grapefruit for the stranger, "What is your name, stranger? We don't usually get any newcomers around here."

The unknown man hesitated for a moment before replying, fiddling slightly with a necklace that had three pendants on it, two miniature Dual Dao on either side of a black raven's feather, "Kanan, and I'm just passing though."

The vendor nodded and counted up the price, "That will be six copper pieces."

Silently the coins were handed over and the vendor accepted them with narrowed eyes, watching as the stranger walked away. There was something about the newcomer . . . something not quite right about him. He was too still when he stood in one place, never fidgeting when others would have. His silence was unnerving and the feline grace that he seemed to walk with just screamed dangerous.

No, this stranger couldn't be trusted, not one bit.

The town would be glad to see him leave.

**0~o~0**

**Well, there's your snippet. I hope you liked it. Keep a look out for the next installment and keep reading! **


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